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Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE IRVING r. LAUGKS AND GLENN DAVIDSON, or SEATTLE, WASI-IINeToN, ASSIGNORS To I. F. LAUCKS, me, or SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, A CORPORATION or WASHINGTON VEGETABLE ADHESIVE AND METHOD OF MAKING No Drawing. Original application filed. October 29, 1928, Serial No. 671,381.

filed august 81, 1928. Serial No. 303,360.

The art of making a water-proof glue from certain protein materials has-been known for some time; thus casein and blood albumin are in common use. These last mentioned compounds, however, have a number of disadvantages from a practical standpoint. Casein is costly and lack of uniformity in the material as derived from various sources is a serious detriment; while blood albumin is not available except in certain situations. There is accordingly a great demand, particularly in the veneer industry Where large quantities of glue are consumed, for a new glue that will be cheap and at the same time subjecting the sufliciently water-proof.

By water-proof, in this connection, it is not meant that glues thus characterized will resist the action of water indefinitely, but it is meant that they are Water-proof in the sense in which the term is used in the veneer industry, viz., that a panel can be soaked in cold Water for from seventy-two to one hundred hours, or in boiling water for eight hours, without separation.

Vegetable compounds have not, so .far as we are aware, been heretofore satisfactorily employed as a basis for water-proof glues of the type in question. It is true that some veneer makers, on account of the high price of casein, have come to use starch glues but these, atleast as heretofore made,are not at all water-proof, and vegetable protems have not heretofore been used at all, so far as we are aware.

We have now discovered, however, that same to proper vegetable proteins or vegetable matter .containing proteins in proper amount, and even in the presence of starch, canbe converted into a Water-proof glue that Wlll satisfy the rigid requirements of veneer making. The

requisite raw material may be derived from a "number of sources and the treatment of such material is relatively simple and inexpensive so that as a result we are able to produce a satisfactory glue at a lower cost than has heretofore. been possible.

To the accomplishment of the forego ng and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the combination of ingredients or comtreatment, such Divided and this application position of matter and the steps involved in the preparation of such composition hereinafter fully described and particularly point? ed out in the claims, it being understood that such disclosed ingredients and steps constitute but several of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used. We have found that soya bean flour constitutes an admirable raw material for our purpose. Such flour is preferably made by grinding soya bean cake so that 80 per cent. will pass a 100 mesh screen and when treated with certain chemicals, or other substances, we make therefrom a very satisfactory glue that meets the requirements of the veneer trade fully and is in many respects better than the usual glues now onthe market. Such bean cake, as analyzed by us, is found to contain on the average 45 per cent. protein, 12 per cent. water, 5 per cent. cellulose or crude her, 7 per cent. oil, 6 per cent. ash, and 25 per cent. carbohydrates.

We do not, however, Wish to limit ourselves to soya bean flour or to vegetable protein derived from this source for we have made satisfactory glue by our improved process from similar seed flours, or protein matter derived from such, in which there is a considerable protein content, examplesof which are linseed flour, cotton seed flour, and the like, or even for some uses a low grade Wheat containing approximately 10 per cent. protein; that is soya bean flour gives the best results but other sources of vegetable protein-containing material may be employed with proportionately advantageous results;

Soya bean flour made from soya bean cake from which the oil has been expressed, is preferably used in practice because it is cheaper and makes a better glue, but flour made from whole soya beans, withoutexpressing vthe contained oil, may also be used, although obviously this would not be economical inv view of the value which attaches to such oil.

I As to the fineness of the flour, it is not necesgood results with our process. Starch has of course heretofore been used in glues, notably in making the so-called Perkins glue, which is in common use, but as thus used the starch is simply compounded with caustic soda and is not in any sense water-proof.

When the usual chemicals employed in making casein glue, "iz., lime and sodium silicate, are added to a vegetable proteincontaining material, for example, soya bean fiour, a glue results, but it is not as good as casein glue. It is not as highly water resistant nor as workable. We find, however, by

the use of caustic soda with such vegetable protein-containing matter, a much better glue is obtained, such caustic soda apparently playing the part of dispersing the colloidal material. The resultant glue is then somewhat similar in its working properties to casein glue, although its water resistance is still slightly less.

Preferably wereact on our vegetable protein-containing material with both caustic soda and lime. As equivalents of such caustic soda, caustic potash and ammonia may be used, although more expensive. Other equivalents of caustic soda are salts of soda (or potash) with weak acids, e. g. sodium hosphate, sodium borate and the like. S imiIarIy in place of lime, magnesia, baryta and strontia may be used as equivalents.

In order to improve the working properties, e. g. the spreading and flow, of the glue produced as aforesaid as well as the water resisting properties, we have found it desirable to add other substances of which the following are examples N Zinc sulphate, zinc chloride, ammonium zincate. Equivalents would be other zinc compounds.

In general, the -zinc compounds increase the water resistance of the lue. It has also been found desirable to add to the basic glue composition produced by reacting on protein containing vegetable matter, as described above, other substances which act as retarders, e. g. calcium chloride and sodium chloride. A retarder, in this connection, it should be explained, is a substance which prevents the wet glue after mixing from setting to a jelly or otherwise thickeningso that it cannot be spread. This action, however, is only important in the case of a few of the formulae that we have used and most of our glue mixtures have not required the addition of such a retarder.

We have also found that certain substances will act in the same way as the caustic soda and also as thinners, e. g. sodium phosphate, sodium perborate and sodium sulphite. These salts are all related in that they are combinations of the strong base sodium with a weak acid and there are a number of other salts that fall in the same category and which have a similar effect, so need not be listed in detail.

As examples we may cite the following typical formulae 1) Mix 30 parts soya bean flour, 1 part sodium dichromate, 0.1 part zinc sulphate, 8O parts water; add 13 parts 18% caustic soda solution and 4 parts calcium hydrate in 20 parts water.

(2) Mix 30 parts cottonseed flour, .1 part sodium dichromate, 0.1 part zinc sulphate, parts water; add 13 parts 18% caustic soda solution and 4 parts calcium hydrate in 20 parts water.

(3) Mix 30 parts linseed flour, 1 parts zinc chloride, 80 parts water; add 13 parts 18% caustic soda solution, and 4 parts calcium hydrate in 20 parts water.

The particular order in which the meal or flour and the several ingredients are admixed together in the formulae just given may be varied, and it is not necessary that the manufacture of the product be completed in a single continuous operation, but as a matter of practice we have found it desirable in certain cases to mix only certain of the ingredients initially and then add the others just before the glue is required for use.

This application is a division of our application, Serial No. 671,381, filed October 29, 1923.

Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the process herein disclosed or the materials employed in carrying out such process provided the stated ingredients and steps or the equivalent of such stated ingredients or steps be employed.-

VVe therefore particularly point out and m distinctly claim as our invention: 7

1 An adhesive composition, which comprises the reaction products of a vegetable protein-containing meal, an alkaline medium and a small proportion of a zinc'compound.

2. An adhesive composition, which comprises the reaction products of soya bean meal, an alkaline medium and a small proportion of a zinc compound.

3; An adhesiyecomposition, which comprises the reaction products off-a. vegetable protein-containing meal, an alkaline medium and a small proportion of zinc sulphate.

4. An adhesive composition, which comprises the reaction products of soya bean flour, an alkaline medium and a small proportion of zinc sulphate.

5. An adhesive composition, which comprises the reaction products of a vegetable protein-containing meal, an alkaline medium and zinc sulphate, the proportions of the meal and the zinc sulphate being about 30 parts of the meal and about 0.1 part of zinc sulphate respectively.

6. An adhesive composition, which comprises the reaction roducts of soya bean flour, an alkaline me 'um and zinc sulphate, the proportions of the soya bean flour and the zinc sulphate being about 30 parts of the soya. bean flour and about 0.1 part of zinc sulphate respectively. a

7. The process of making an adhesive, which comprises incorporatin with a vegetable protein-containing mea an alkaline medium and a small proportion of a zinc compound. 8. The process of makin an adhesive, which comprises incorporating with soya bean meal an alkaline medium and a small proportion of a zinc compound.

9. The process of making an adhesive, which comprises incorporating with a vegetable protein-containing meal an alkaline mltlsdium and a small proportion of zinc sulp ate. 7

10. The process of making an adhesive, which comprises incorporating with soya bean meal an alkaline medium and a small proportion of zinc sulphate.

11. The process of making an adhesive, which comprises incorporating with a vegetable protein-containing meal an alkaline meduim and zinc sulphate, the proportions of the vegetable meal and the zinc sulphate being about 30 parts of the meal and about 0.1 part of zinc sulphate respectively.

12. The process of making which comprises incorporating with soya bean flour an alkaline medium and zinc sulphate, the proportions of the soya bean flour and zinc sulphate being about 30 parts of the flour and about 0.1 part of zinc sulphate respectively' HtVDIG 'F LAUCKS GLENN DAVIDSON.

an adhesive, 

